'Stars and Stripes' forever

As someone who has gone to the Taste and can't stand the crowds, the noise and the greasy food, I recommend Milwaukee's Summerfest.

Sure, it's a drive, but it's well worth the travel. Maier Festival Park (aka Summerfest grounds) is designed for these events, very much unlike Columbus Drive or Balbo.

Summerfest is much cleaner and the crowd a friendlier bunch. You've got the Marcus Ampitheatre, again designed for shows.

And you don't hear regular reports of people being shot there either.

Summerfest puts on a much better show.

Yes, but the city didn't have to pay the orchestra and TMX probably paid for the rights to do the show. This is Chicago!!!

And you're right, it sucked!

The hip-hip-hooray of the 4th is fine and all, but I wonder if we ought to spend a half hour going over the Declaration of Independence. As a nation, that is what we are all about, not necessarily the fireworks.

The 4th is about tradition/s, people attend the fireworks for that very reason. Families have been attending the fireworks on the 3rd for years. We have in the past done so and even made it an overnight event. This year, in a word, sucked. And...remember, the word FAMILY, some of the lyrics of the songs were not family friendly.

Hopefully, this is not part of the liberal attempt at diminution of patriotism in this country, similar to that evidenced at an official event in Denver last week when the so-called black national anthem was substituted for the Star Spangled Banner. Whatever the reason, the elimination of patriotic songs at the July 3rd concert was an extreme example of poor judgment and we should be assured that it will not be repeated, especially since those concerts are subsidized by the taxes we pay.

Gotta agree. There was nothing wrong with the music that was played -- it just had nothing whatsoever to do with the Fourth of July or the fireworks. Nor did there seem to be any theme amongst the songs that were played. The entire set of was pointless.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it...

The only winners in this situation were the orchestra members, who got to leave before the masses.

It could have been worse... B96 could have sponsored the Fireworks show and could have been set to the music of The Pussycat Dolls and Young Jeezy. Ugggh!

What's wrong with letting the fireworks speak for themselves?

When they play music over the fireworks, I miss out on hearing and feeling the full impact, I might as well just watch them on TV.

What a slap in the face to the CSO!

Was Todd Stroger behind this?

mbmom wrote:

What a slap in the face to the CSO!
Was Todd Stroger behind this?

I highly doubt the CSO had anything to do with taste, much less perform there.

The Mayor's office may call the Taste of Chicago "a living, breathing thing," but the fireworks on July 3 were a mutant creation. Introduced by Eric and Kathy, morning drive hosts of a local rock station, the fireworks display was a celebration of commercialism, not of our nation's founding. It was the first time I had not heard a Sousa march at a Independence Day celebration, with the only seemingly patriotic music from the Grant Park Orchestra being the 1812 Overture by a Russian composer (Tcaikovsky)--with no fireworks, only cannon aerials. I actually told my wife that Boston (Pops) and Washington (A Capitol Fourth) got it right on TV that night, and Chicago was an embarrassing also-ran. Let's celebrate America--not rock and roll anthems.

mbmom wrote:

What a slap in the face to the CSO!
Was Todd Stroger behind this?

Well, first off it's the Grant Park Orchestra that plays on July 3rd, not the CSO. Second, while I'm sure Stroger had nothing to do with it, someone in his same IQ bracket certainly did.

Maybe the communists were running the show down there.

Erich wrote:

The hip-hip-hooray of the 4th is fine and all, but I wonder if we ought to spend a half hour going over the Declaration of Independence. As a nation, that is what we are all about, not necessarily the fireworks.

Yes! I've been telling anyone who will listen that the Declaration used to be read at gatherings on Independence Day and that tradition should be resurrected. Even publishing the Declaration in newspapers on the 4th raises awareness of the holiday as more than an opportunity to eat outside and watch fireworks. Those men who signed the Declaration were putting their lives on the line, and Americans owe them some respect for their actions.

I took some time to read the Declaration myself, and also drank a Samuel Adams beer in honor of one of the signers.:)

I'm so happy to see I was not the only one upset about the WTMX soundtrack on the 4th. I have no problem with canned music (though I prefer the Orchestra), but it ought to be patriotic. What was played was more fitting for Venetian Night.

Meg wrote:

I'm so happy to see I was not the only one upset about the WTMX soundtrack on the 4th. I have no problem with canned music (though I prefer the Orchestra), but it ought to be patriotic. What was played was more fitting for Venetian Night.

I have a problem with canned music. There was an orchestra sitting on stage for the earlier stuff, then you shove them out of the way so some overplayed, over-hyped recording "artists" can get some more play time? Not to mention the fact that all the patriotic music was taken out of the picture. It's a shame, really.

Hey, folks, don't be surprised. This music was just a warm-up for when your favorite son gets elected. Haven't you heard, he doesn't much like the national anthem because the lyrics are too "war-like." When the lyrics get replaced with the Black National Anthem (already written and tested in Denver) we may get to hear it.

As for patriotic music, kiss John Philip Sousa goodbye, Chicago. And, by the way the Pledge of Allegiance is not such a good idea either -- we don't need all that patriotism stuff.
We're going to become elite and cosmopolitan...maybe even adopt French as the official second language.

I'm from Florida and happily voted for Sen. Mel Martinez who proudly wears a flag pin on his lapel.

For those of you who believe in the idiotic "conspiracy theories" about the so-called liberal diminution of patriotism, here's a newsflash: the decision to use canned pop music was made by the city of Chicago; the decision not to broadcast on television and radio was due to the lack of funding available. End of story. Perhaps if we weren't wasting billions on this travesty of a pre-emptive war (which has accomplished absolutely nothing), there might be $ left for the truly important things in life, including the fine arts. In addition--consider this--any criticism of this country stems from a desire to make it a better place. If we don't criticize and correct our children, they turn into spoiled narcissists who don't understand boundaries. Those who truly love their children (insert the term "country") discipline them, correct them, and criticize them when necessary, out of love and concern. If you want patriotic music, put your money where your mouth is.